Letting Go.... Moving Forward....

It's been a long time since I've looked at my blog. Over 2 years in fact. In those two years, our family has endured cancer, our daughter going off to college, and a whole lot of other changes. But, the biggest change came last week - we sent our 20 year old daughter to Florence, Italy for a semester in a study abroad program. While she is dining on pizza, pasta, tiramasu, and having the time of her life, I sit here and am simultaneously proud, jealous, and very weepy. This is so different from sending her off to college. SDSU is only 20 minutes away. I could hop in a car or pick up a phone and be instantly connected to her. Now she is half way around the world and a 9 hour time zone difference. She's also, for the first time, completely on her own. During her first two years at school she lived in the dorms and then her sorority house. There was an adult on the premises at all times - a comforting thought for any parent. Now she lives in an apartment in the 'city center' (to quote House Hunters International) with 5 other college students. They are completely responsible for the cooking (iffy), cleaning (yeah, right), and locking the door (praying). She is now a grown-up. Gulp!

However, this change has also brought another surprising emotion - excitement. I, for the first time in 20 years, am on my own to pursue my passions. Yes, I'm still married to a wonderful man and still have to clean the house, cook dinner, pay bills, etc. But, I have a new sense of freedom in how I spend my days to pursue my jewelry business. I have to admit that it feels very liberating. I literally jump out of bed in the morning, my mind filled with new ideas and inspiration! It feels great!

Hence, this is what brought me back to my blog. I expect to post at least 2-3 times a week. It will give me the opportunity to reconnect with my customers, let people get to know me a bit better, and give me another avenue for communication. I'm somewhat limited in how I post photos and information on my Etsy site, so I hope this also allows me to showcase my jewelry, answer questions, and post tutorials on the creative process that I go through.

I leave this first post with a favorite photo of mine. This is a picture of my daughter and I on the morning she left for Italy. While I'm so excited for her and look forward to hearing about her adventures in Europe, I do still get teary from time to time. But, it's time to let go and move forward to a new, and equally, exciting chapter in our lives.